Systems and methods for locating arrows

ABSTRACT

In one aspect, an example system includes an arrow nock configured to couple to an arrow, a transmitter coupled to the arrow nock, and a controller. The controller is configured to (i) determine that the arrow has been shot from a bow and (ii) responsive to determining that the arrow has been shot from the bow, cause the transmitter to transmit a beacon signal at a variable rate that varies based on an amount of time elapsed since determining that the arrow has been shot from the bow.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Non-Provisional Patent Application is a continuation of, and claimsthe benefit of priority to, U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser.No. 15/451,172, filed on Mar. 6, 2017, entitled “Systems And Methods ForLocating Arrows,” which claims the benefit of priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/305,418, filed on Mar. 8, 2016, entitled“Systems and Methods for Locating Arrows,” the disclosure of each ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties,including but without limitation those portions related to devices,systems, and methods of location tracking for arrows.

USAGE AND TERMINOLOGY

In this disclosure, unless otherwise specified and/or unless theparticular context clearly dictates otherwise, the terms “a” or “an”mean at least one, and the term “the” means the at least one.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, an example method is disclosed. The method includes (i)determining, by a computing system, that an arrow has been shot from abow, wherein the arrow comprises a transmitter; and (ii) responsive todetermining that the arrow has been shot from the bow, causing, by thecomputing system, the transmitter to transmit a beacon signal at avariable rate that varies based on an amount of time elapsed sincedetermining that the arrow has been shot from the bow.

In another aspect, an example system for use in connection with an arrowis disclosed. The system includes an arrow nock configured to couple tothe arrow, a transmitter coupled to the arrow nock, and a controllerconfigured to (i) determine that the arrow has been shot from a bow and(ii) responsive to determining that the arrow has been shot from thebow, cause the transmitter to transmit a beacon signal at a variablerate that varies based on an amount of time elapsed since determiningthat the arrow has been shot from the bow.

In another aspect, another example system for use in connection with anarrow is disclosed. The system includes an arrow nock configured tocouple to the arrow, a transmitter coupled to the arrow nock, and acontroller configured to (i) determine that the arrow has been shot froma bow and (ii) responsive to determining that the arrow has been shotfrom the bow, cause the transmitter to transmit a beacon signal at avariable rate, wherein the variable rate is a first rate at a firsttime, wherein the variable rate is a second rate at a second time, andwherein the second rate is less than the first rate and the second timeis later than the first time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of an example computing device.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view illustration of an example arrow nocksystem.

FIG. 2B is an exploded view illustration of the example arrow nocksystem shown in FIG. 2 A, the cross section being taken along the lineA-A of FIG. 2 A.

FIG. 2C is a cross-section view illustration of the example arrow nocksystem.

FIG. 3A is a top view illustration of another example arrow nock system.

FIG. 3B is a top view illustration of another example arrow nock system.

FIG. 3C is a top view illustration of another example arrow nock system.

FIG. 4 is a simplified illustration of an example remote computingdevice.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an example method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I. Overview

An arrow can be outfitted with various components that can help allowthe arrow to be located after being shot from a bow. In this disclosure,the term “arrow” means any type of arrow or bolt configured for use witha bow or a crossbow, and the term “bow” means any type of bow orcrossbow configured for shooting an arrow or bolt. In practice, an arrowcan include a transmitter (e.g., a Bluetooth transmitter), a lightsource (e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED)), a sound-emitting device(e.g., a buzzer), an accelerometer and/or a shock sensor, a battery, atrigger mechanism (e.g., a switch or button), and/or a controller, allof which can be located in, on, or near a nock of the arrow. In anotherexample, the light source can be disposed in, on, or near the nock, andthe remaining components can be disposed in, on, or near a remoteportion of the arrow.

The controller can determine that the arrow has been shot from a bow(e.g., based on a signal output by the accelerometer or shock sensor),and the controller can then operate the transmitter, light source,and/or sound-emitting device to help allow the arrow to be located. Thecontroller can operate the transmitter as a beacon, sending a locatingsignal that can be received by a remote device, such as a smartphone.The remote device can include location tracking software that can allowa user to track the location of the arrow based on the received locatingsignal. For instance, based on the received locating signal, the remotedevice can indicate a proximity of the remote device to the transmitter.Additionally, the controller can operate the light source andsound-emitting device to provide visual and/or audio cues that help thearrow stand out from its environment.

As noted above, the arrow can include a battery that can be used topower the transmitter, light source, sound-emitting device, and/orcontroller. However, batteries have a limited energy supply, such thatthe battery may only be capable of powering these components for alimited duration. Once the battery is drained of charge, thetransmitter, light source, and/or sound-emitting device can ceaseoperation, thereby making it more difficult to locate the arrow.Accordingly, it can be desirable to increase the time duration at whichthe battery can power the transmitter, light source, and/orsound-emitting device.

The present disclosure provides a system that helps address theseissues. In one aspect, the controller can cause the transmitter totransmit the beacon signal at a particular rate based on how much timehas elapsed after shooting the arrow from the bow. For example, shortlyafter the arrow is shot from the bow, the controller can cause thetransmitter to transmit the beacon signal at an initial rate (e.g., onceper second), and as the elapsed time increases, the controller candecrease the beacon signal transmission rate to a slower, subsequentrate (e.g., once every ten minutes). Similarly, the controller can usepulse width modulation (PWM) to pulse the light source and thesound-emitting device at a particular duty cycle based on how much timehas elapsed after shooting the arrow from the bow. In particular, thecontroller can reduce the duty cycle of the light source and thesound-emitting device as the elapsed time after shooting the arrowincreases.

Reducing the transmission rate of the beacon signal and reducing theduty cycles of the light source and the sound-emitting device can allowthe battery to power these components for a longer period of timewithout running out of charge. And powering these components for alonger period of time can increase the likelihood of the arrow beinglocated.

II. Example Architecture

A. Computing Device

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of an example computing device 100.

The computing device can be configured to perform and/or can perform oneor more acts and/or functions, such as those described in thisdisclosure. The computing device 100 can include various components,such as a processor 102, a data storage unit 104, a communicationinterface 106, and/or a user interface 108. Each of these components canbe connected to each other via a connection mechanism 110.

In this disclosure, the term “connection mechanism” means a mechanismthat facilitates communication between two or more components, devices,systems, or other entities. A connection mechanism can be a relativelysimple mechanism, such as a cable or system bus, or a relatively complexmechanism, such as a packet-based communication network (e.g., theInternet). In some instances, a connection mechanism can include anon-tangible medium (e.g., in the case where the connection iswireless).

The processor 102 can include a general-purpose processor (e.g., amicroprocessor) and/or a special-purpose processor (e.g., a digitalsignal processor (DSP)). The processor 102 can execute programinstructions contained in the data storage unit 104 as discussed below.

The data storage unit 104 can include one or more volatile,non-volatile, removable, and/or non-removable storage components, suchas magnetic, optical, and/or flash storage, and/or can be integrated inwhole or in part with the processor 102. Further, the data storage unit104 can take the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium, having stored thereon program instructions (e.g., compiled ornon-compiled program logic and/or machine code) that, upon execution bythe processor 102, cause the computing device 100 to perform one or moreacts and/or functions, such as those described in this disclosure. Theseprogram instructions can define and/or be part of a discrete softwareapplication. In some instances, the computing device 100 can executeprogram instructions in response to receiving an input, such as from thecommunication interface 106 and/or the user interface 108. The datastorage unit 104 can also store other types of data, such as those typesdescribed in this disclosure.

The communication interface 106 can allow the computing device 100 toconnect with and/or communicate with another other entity according toone or more protocols. In one example, the communication interface 106can be a wired interface, such as an Ethernet interface. In anotherexample, the communication interface 106 can be a wireless interface,such as a cellular or WI-FI interface. In this disclosure, a connectioncan be a direct connection or an indirect connection, the latter being aconnection that passes through and/or traverses one or more entities,such as a router, switcher, or other network device. Likewise, in thisdisclosure, a transmission can be a direct transmission or an indirecttransmission.

The user interface 108 can include hardware and/or software componentsthat facilitate interaction between the computing device 100 and a userof the computing device 100, if applicable. As such, the user interface108 can include input components such as a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse,a touch-sensitive panel, a microphone, and/or a camera, and/or outputcomponents such as a display device (which, for example, can be combinedwith a touch-sensitive panel), a sound speaker, and/or a haptic feedbacksystem.

The computing device 100 can take various forms, such as a mobile phone,a tablet, a laptop, a desktop computer, or the like.

B. Arrow Nock System

FIG. 2A is an illustration of an example arrow nock system 200 for usein connection with an arrow, and FIG. 2B is an exploded viewillustration of the example arrow nock system 200. The arrow nock system200 can include a nock housing 202, a computing system 204, and abattery 206. In this disclosure, the term “computing system” means asystem that includes at least one computing device. In some instances, acomputing system can include one or more other computing systems.

The nock housing 202 can include a nock portion 208 and a shaft portion210 coupled to the nock portion 208. The nock portion 208 can be shapedto engage a bow string for purposes of shooting an arrow. As shown, thenock portion 208 can be shaped to engage a bow string of a standard bow.However, in other examples, the nock portion 208 can be shaped to engagevarious other types of bow strings, such as a crossbow string.

The shaft portion 210 can have an outer diameter that is slightlysmaller than an inner diameter of an arrow shaft, such that the shaftportion 210 can be inserted into the arrow shaft. Different types ofarrows can have different inner diameters of their shaft, and so theouter diameter of the shaft portion 210 can vary across examples inorder to fit within a given arrow shaft. Further, the shaft portion 210can include one or more ribs 212 that protrude from the shaft portion210, such that the ribs 212 can engage an inner surface of the arrowshaft, causing the shaft portion 210 to snugly fit within the arrowshaft.

As further shown, at the junction of the nock portion 208 and the shaftportion 210, the nock housing 202 can have a diameter that is largerthan the diameter of the shaft portion 210. The diameter at thisjunction can be larger than the inner diameter of the arrow shaft suchthat the nock portion 208 of the nock housing 202 remains exposed fromthe arrow shaft when the shaft portion 210 is inserted into the arrow.

Further, the shaft portion 210 of the nock housing 202 can have ahollowed out interior cavity for receiving all or part of the computingsystem 204 and/or the battery 206, and the interior cavity can extendinto the nock portion 208 such that at least some of the computingsystem 204 can be arranged within the nock portion 208.

The computing system 204 can include various electronic devices 216,some or all of which can be mounted in various ways on one or moresurfaces of a substrate 218, such as a printed circuit board (PCB). Thecomputing system 204 and or its substrate 218 can be secured within thenock housing 202 in various ways, such as by using various types ofnon-conductive adhesive. The adhesive can be applied via an aperture 214in the shaft portion 210 of the nock housing 202.

FIG. 2C is a cross-section illustration of the example nock system 200,the cross section being taken along line A-A of FIG. 2A, that furtherillustrates how the computing system 204 can be arranged within the nockhousing 202. As shown, the interior cavity of the shaft portion 210 ofthe nock housing 202 can include one or more notches 228. The computingsystem 204 can be arranged within the shaft portion 210 such that one ormore edges of the substrate 218 of the computing system 204 align withand engage the one or more notches 228. This can help secure thecomputing system 204 within the nock housing 202 by preventing thecomputing system 204 from rotating with respect to the nock housing 202.

Referring back to FIG. 2B, the electronic devices 216 of the computingsystem 204 can include a controller, an accelerometer, a transmitter, alight source, and/or a sound-emitting device.

The controller can include one or more computing devices. For example,the controller can include a microprocessor, an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), orthe like. The controller can be connected to the various otherelectronic devices, including the accelerometer, the transmitter, thelight source, and/or the sound-emitting device via one or moreconnection mechanisms.

The accelerometer can include any device configured to output anelectrical signal to the controller based on a mechanical motion of thenock system 200. For instance, in some examples, the accelerometer caninclude a shock or vibration sensor configured to output a particularelectrical signal when exposed to a threshold high impact force. Inother examples, the accelerometer can be a commercially available ICconfigured to use piezoelectric, piezoresistive, or capacitivecomponents to convert mechanical motion of the nock system 200 into anelectrical signal.

Further, the accelerometer can be part of an inertial measurement unit(IMU) configured to use one or more gyroscopes in combination with oneor more accelerometers to measure various motion characteristics, suchas a linear acceleration and an angular velocity, of the nock system200.

The transmitter can include an antenna for transmitting radio frequency(RF) signals. The transmitter can be configured to transmit RF signalsaccording to a particular wireless protocol, such as Bluetooth,Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), or Wi-Fi, to name a few. In some examples,the transmitter can be part of a transceiver that includes a receiverfor receiving RF signals.

The light source can take various forms, such as an LED or a laserdiode. In some examples, the light source can be arranged near an end ofthe substrate 218 of the computing system 204 such that the light sourceis disposed within the nock portion 208 of the nock housing 202. In thismanner, when the nock housing 202 is inserted into an arrow shaft, lightemitted by the light source can radiate through the nock portion 208 ofthe nock housing 202. In order to increase the visibility of thisradiated light, at least the nock portion 208 of the nock housing 202can be made of a transparent or translucent material, such as varioustypes of plastic.

The sound-emitting device can take various forms and can include aspeaker or a buzzer, such as an electromechanical or a piezoelectricbuzzer.

The battery 206 can include one or more batteries capable of beingarranged within or on an arrow. As shown, the battery 206 can be acylindrical pin type battery with a diameter that is smaller than theinner diameter of the shaft portion 210 of the nock housing 202, suchthat the battery 206 can be inserted at least partially into the nockhousing 202. The battery 206 can include an anode terminal 220 and acathode terminal 222 that interface with battery contacts 224 of thecomputing system 204 in order to power the various electronic componentsof the computing system 204. As further shown, the battery 206 caninclude an O-ring 226 encircling the battery 206. The O-ring 226 canengage an inner surface of the shaft portion 210 of the nock housing202, thereby causing the battery 206 to snugly fit within the shaftportion 210 and preventing the battery 206 from decoupling from thebattery contacts 224 of the computing system 204.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are illustrations of other example arrow nocksystems 310, 320, 330 for use in connection with an arrow. Each of theexample arrow nock systems in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are illustrated toshow a few possible variations to the example arrow nock system 200depicted in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the example arrow nock system 310 includes abutton 312 that can be connected to one or more electrical components ofthe computing system 204. In some examples, the button 312 can be usedto activate or deactivate one or more of the electrical components. Forinstance, pressing the button 312 can complete or interrupt anelectrical circuit, thereby turning on or turning off the transmitter,the light source, and/or the sound-emitting device. In other examples,the button 312 can be used to arm one or more of the electricalcomponents. For instance, the controller can be configured to detectwhether the button 312 has been pressed and may only carry out thevarious operations described herein upon detecting that the button 312has been pressed.

As further shown, the example arrow nock system 310 can include abattery retainer 314 that helps secure the battery within the nockhousing. The battery retainer 314 can extend along a length of thebattery and wrap around a distal end of the battery. The batteryretainer 314 can exert a force on the distal end of the battery thatpresses the battery against the battery contacts of the computingsystem. In some examples, the battery retainer 314 can include one ofthe battery contacts (e.g., the cathode battery contact) of thecomputing system.

Referring to FIG. 3B, the example arrow nock system 320 includes a nockportion 322 that is configured to engage a bow string of a crossbow. Assuch, the example arrow nock 320 can be used in connection with acrossbow bolt.

Referring to FIG. 3C, the example arrow nock system 330 includes a firstshaft portion 332 and a second shaft portion 334. Similar to the shaftportion 210 of the example nock system 200 in FIG. 2, the first shaftportion 332 can have a diameter that is smaller than an inner diameterof an arrow shaft, such that the first shaft portion 332 can fit snuglywithin the arrow shaft. The second shaft portion 334, on the other hand,can have a diameter that is larger than the inner diameter of the arrowshaft, such that the second shaft portion 334 remains exposed from thearrow shaft when the example nock system 330 is coupled to the arrow.This larger second shaft portion 334 can be used to accommodatecomponents of the computing system 204 which can be advantageouslyexposed from the arrow shaft (e.g., for larger components that do notfit within the arrow shaft or for components that work more effectivelywhen exposed from the arrow shaft).

C. Remote Computing Device

FIG. 4 illustrates a simplified diagram of a remote computing device400. The remote computing device 400 can include some or all of thecomponents of the computing device 100 depicted in FIG. 1 and can takevarious forms, such as a mobile phone, a tablet, a laptop, a desktopcomputer, or the like.

The remote computing device 400 can be mechanically uncoupled to thearrow nock system 200, but can include a communication interface forengaging in wireless communication with the arrow nock system 200. Forexample, the remote computing device can wirelessly receive signals fromand/or transmit signals to the arrow nock system 200.

Further, the remote computing device 400 can include a user interface402 for displaying various data related to the arrow nock system 200. Asshown, the user interface 402 can display an indication of a signalstrength 404 of the wirelessly received signals and/or an indication ofa distance 406 of the remote computing device 400 from the arrow nocksystem 200. As further shown, the user interface 402 can include a lightsource button 408 for manually activating the light source of the arrownock system 200 and a sound-emitter button 410 for manually activatingthe sound-emitting device of the arrow nock system 200.

III. Example Operations

The arrow nock system 200 and the remote computing device 400, and/orcomponents thereof, can perform various acts and/or functions. Thesefeatures and related features will now be described.

The arrow nock system 200 and the remote computing device 400 canperform various acts and/or functions for locating an arrow that hasbeen shot from a bow. In line with the discussion above, the arrow nocksystem 200 can be coupled to an arrow by inserting the shaft portion 210of the nock housing 202 into a shaft of the arrow. The computing system204 of the arrow nock system 200 can then determine when the arrow hasbeen shot from a bow.

As noted above, the arrow nock system 200 can include an accelerometeror a shock sensor that can convert mechanical motion of the arrow to anelectrical signal. The electrical signal output by the accelerometer orshock sensor can be provided to the controller of the computing system204, and, based on the electrical signal output by the accelerometer,the controller can determine that the arrow has been shot. For instance,the controller can determine that the electrical signal output by theaccelerometer is indicative of the arrow nock system 200 experiencing athreshold high acceleration or deceleration that can occur when thearrow is shot from a bow or when the arrow strikes a target. Based onthe electrical signal indicating the threshold high acceleration ordeceleration, the controller can determine that the arrow has been shotfrom a bow.

Once the controller determines that the arrow has been shot from a bow,the controller can responsively operate various components of thecomputing system 204 in order to help allow the arrow to be located. Forinstance, the controller can responsively cause the transmitter of thecomputing system 204 to repeatedly transmit a beacon signal forreception by the remote computing device 400.

Upon receiving the beacon signal, the remote computing device 400 candetermine a proximity of the remote computing device 400 relative to thearrow nock system 200. For example, the remote computing device 400 candetermine a signal strength of the received beacon signal, and theremote computing device 400 can display a visual representation of thesignal strength 404 via its user interface 402. In this manner, a usercan determine that the remote computing device 400 is getting closer tothe arrow nock system 200 as the indicated signal strength 404 increasesand that the remote computing device 400 is getting farther away fromthe arrow nock system 200 as the indicated signal strength 404decreases.

Additionally or alternatively, the remote computing device 400 canestimate a distance between the remote computing device 400 and thearrow nock system 200 and display the estimated distance 406 via itsuser interface 402. The remote computing device 400 can estimate thisdistance 406 based on the detected signal strength of the beacon signal,for instance. Other distance measurement techniques, such as phase shiftmeasurements or time of flight measurements, can be employed as well.

The controller can further activate the light source and/or thesound-emitting device of the computing system 204 responsive todetermining that the arrow has been shot from a bow. By causing thearrow nock system 200 to emit light and sound, the arrow can be morereadily located after being shot from the bow.

In practice, the controller can cause the transmitter to pulse thebeacon signal at a particular rate, and the controller can likewisecause the light source and the sound-emitting device to pulse theirlight and sound outputs at respective rates. Further, the controller canvary these rates based on an amount of time that has elapsed since thearrow was shot from the bow.

In particular, the controller can cause the transmitter to transmit thebeacon signal at a variable rate that is inversely related to the amountelapsed time after the arrow is shot from the bow. As an example, oncethe controller determines that the arrow has been shot from the bow, thecontroller can cause the transmitter to transmit the beacon signal at aninitial rate (e.g., once per second). At a subsequent time, thecontroller can cause the transmitter to transmit the beacon signal at asubsequent rate (e.g., once every ten seconds) that is lower than theinitial rate. In some examples, the controller can adjust thetransmission rate of the beacon signal continuously as time elapses, orthe controller can adjust the transmission rate in a stepwise fashion astime elapses.

Accordingly, FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart of an example method 500 inline with this disclosure. At block 502, the method 500 can includedetermining, by a computing system, that an arrow has been shot from abow, wherein the arrow comprises a transmitter. And at block 504, themethod 500 can include responsive to determining that the arrow has beenshot from the bow, causing, by the computing system, the transmitter totransmit a beacon signal at a variable rate that varies based on anamount of time elapsed since determining that the arrow has been shotfrom the bow.

The controller can also cause the light source and/or the sound-emittingdevice to respectively output light and/or sound at a variable rate thatis inversely related to the amount elapsed time after the arrow is shotfrom the bow. For instance, the controller can adjust a duty cycle of anactivation signal supplied to the light source and/or the sound-emittingdevice based on the amount of elapsed time after determining that thearrow has been shot from the bow. As the elapsed time increases, thecontroller can decrease the duty cycle, either continuously or in astepwise fashion.

In examples where the arrow nock system 200 includes a transceiver thatcan receive signals from the remote computing device, the controller canactivate the light source and/or the sound-emitting device in responseto receiving a command from the remote computing device 400 (e.g.,instead of or in addition to activating the light source and/or thesound-emitting device in response to detecting that the arrow has beenshot from a bow). For example, a user can press the light source button408 or the sound-emitter button 410, and the remote computing device 400can send a signal to the transceiver of the arrow nock system 200indicating the user input. The controller can detect the received signaland responsively activate the light source and/or the sound-emittingdevice.

Similarly, in other examples, a user can manually activate some or allof the transmitter, the light source, and/or the sound-emitting devicebefore shooting the arrow from a bow. As described above with respect toFIG. 3 A, for instance, the arrow nock system 310 can include a button312 coupled to the transmitter, the light source, and/or thesound-emitting device, such that a user can activate these components bypressing the button 312.

Further, in some examples, the controller can be configured to activatethe light source and/or the sound emitting device based on a proximityof the remote computing device 400 to the arrow nock system 200. Forinstance, the remote computing device 400 can transmit a signal to thearrow nock system 200 indicating a distance between the remote computingdevice 400 and the arrow nock system 200. If the indicated distance isbelow a threshold value, then the controller can responsively activatethe light source and/or the sound-emitting device. As another example,the remote computing device 400 can determine that a distance betweenthe remote computing device 400 and the arrow nock system 200 is below athreshold value and responsively transmit a signal to the arrow nocksystem 200 instructing the controller to activate the light sourceand/or the sound-emitting device.

Additionally, as noted above, the controller can be configured to onlyperform various functions described herein once the controller has beenarmed. The controller can be armed in various ways. In some examples,the controller can be armed by pressing a button (e.g., button 312 inFIG. 3A) disposed on the arrow nock system 310 or responsive todetecting an input via the user interface 402 of the remote computingdevice 400. In other examples, the controller can be armed usingnear-field communication (NFC) techniques. For instance, the arrow nocksystem 200 and the remote computing device 400 can include NFC-enableddevices, such that the arrow nock system 200 can arm the controllerbased on a proximity of the remote computing device 400 to the arrownock system 200. In particular, the arrow nock system 200 can arm thecontroller responsive to determining that a distance between the arrownock system 200 and the remote computing device 400 falls below athreshold distance. In some examples, this threshold distance can beparticularly small (e.g., on the order of a few centimeters) such that auser may need to bring the arrow nock system 200 and the remotecomputing device 400 into contact or near contact.

As further noted above, the accelerometer of the arrow nock system 200can be part of an IMU configured to measure various motioncharacteristics of the arrow nock system 200. The IMU can be configuredto measure a linear acceleration and an angular velocity of the arrownock system 200 at any given time. In some examples, the controller cancause the IMU to measure motion data responsive to determining that thearrow has been shot from a bow. The controller can then receive thismotion data from the IMU and determine various flight characteristics ofthe arrow, such as time of flight, velocity, distance, flight path, orimpact force, to name a few. The controller can cause the transmitter totransmit this motion data to the remote computing device 400, and theremote computing device 400 can display the motion data via the userinterface 402.

IV. Example Variations

Although some of the acts and/or functions described in this disclosurehave been described as being performed by a particular entity, the actsand/or functions can be performed by any entity, such as those entitiesdescribed in this disclosure. Further, although the acts and/orfunctions have been recited in a particular order, the acts and/orfunctions need not be performed in the order recited. However, in someinstances, it can be desired to perform the acts and/or functions in theorder recited. Further, each of the acts and/or functions can beperformed responsive to one or more of the other acts and/or functions.Also, not all of the acts and/or functions need to be performed toachieve one or more of the benefits provided by this disclosure, andtherefore not all of the acts and/or functions are required.

Although certain variations have been discussed in connection with oneor more example of this disclosure, these variations can also be appliedto all of the other examples of this disclosure as well.

Although select examples of this disclosure have been described,alterations and permutations of these examples will be apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art. Other changes, substitutions, and/oralterations are also possible without departing from the invention inits broader aspects as set forth in the following claims.

1. A method comprising: determining, by a computing system, that anarrow has been shot from a bow, wherein the arrow comprises atransmitter; and responsive to determining that the arrow has been shotfrom the bow, causing, by the computing system, the transmitter totransmit a beacon signal at a variable rate that varies based on anamount of time elapsed since determining that the arrow has been shotfrom the bow.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable rate isinversely related to the amount of elapsed time.
 3. The method of claim1, wherein the arrow further comprises an accelerometer or a shocksensor, and wherein determining that the arrow has been shot from thebow comprises determining that the arrow has been shot from the bowbased on a signal output by the accelerometer or the shock sensor. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the computing system comprises acontroller coupled to the arrow and a remote computing device that isuncoupled to the arrow, wherein causing the transmitter to transmit thebeacon signal comprises the controller causing the transmitter totransmit the beacon signal, and wherein the method further comprises:receiving, by the remote computing device, the transmitted beaconsignal; and displaying, via an interface of the remote computing device,an indication of a location of the arrow based on the received beaconsignal.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising performing acontroller activation process to activate the controller, wherein thecontroller activation process comprises positioning the transmitterwithin a threshold distance from the remote computing device, andwherein the controller causing the transmitter to transmit the beaconsignal occurs responsive to both (i) the controller being activated and(ii) determining that the arrow has been shot from the bow.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the arrow further comprises a light source,and wherein the method further comprises adjusting a duty cycle of thelight source based on the amount of elapsed time.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein the arrow further comprises a sound-emitting device, andwherein the method further comprises adjusting a duty cycle of thesound-emitting device based on the amount of elapsed time.
 8. The methodof claim 4, wherein the arrow further comprises a light source, andwherein the method further comprises activating, by the controller, thelight source based on a proximity of the remote computing device to thearrow.
 9. The method of claim 4, wherein the arrow further comprises alight source, and wherein the method further comprises activating, bythe controller, the light source based on an input received via theinterface of the remote computing device.
 10. The method of claim 4,wherein the arrow further comprises a sound-emitting device, and whereinthe method further comprises activating, by the controller, thesound-emitting device based on a proximity of the remote computingdevice to the arrow.
 11. The method of claim 4, wherein the arrowfurther comprises a sound-emitting device, and wherein the methodfurther comprises activating, by the controller, the sound-emittingdevice based on an input received via the interface of the remotecomputing device.
 12. A system for use in connection with an arrow, thesystem comprising: an arrow nock configured to couple to the arrow; atransmitter coupled to the arrow nock; and a controller configured to(i) determine that the arrow has been shot from a bow and (ii)responsive to determining that the arrow has been shot from the bow,cause the transmitter to transmit a beacon signal at a variable ratethat varies based on an amount of time elapsed since determining thatthe arrow has been shot from the bow.
 13. The system of claim 12,wherein the variable rate is inversely related to the amount of elapsedtime.
 14. The system of claim 12, further comprising an accelerometer ora shock sensor, wherein the controller determines that the arrow hasbeen shot from the bow based on a signal output by the accelerometer orthe shock sensor.
 15. The system of claim 12, further comprising acomputing device that is remote from the arrow nock, wherein the remotecomputing device is configured to (i) receive the transmitted beaconsignal and (ii) display, via an interface of the remote computingdevice, an indication of a location of the arrow based on the receivedbeacon signal.
 16. The system of claim 12, further comprising at leastone of a light source or a sound-emitting device coupled to the arrownock, wherein the controller is further configured to activate the atleast one light source or sound-emitting device responsive todetermining that the arrow has been shot from the bow.
 17. The system ofclaim 12, further comprising at least one of a light source or asound-emitting device coupled to the arrow nock, wherein the controlleris further configured to adjust a duty cycle of the at least one lightsource or sound-emitting device based on the amount of elapsed timeafter determining that the arrow has been shot from the bow.
 18. Thesystem of claim 12, further comprising at least one of a light source ora sound-emitting device coupled to the arrow nock, wherein thecontroller is further configured to activate the at least one lightsource or sound-emitting device based on a proximity of the remotecomputing device to the arrow nock.
 19. The system of claim 15, furthercomprising at least one of a light source or a sound-emitting devicecoupled to the arrow nock, wherein the controller is further configuredto activate the at least one light source or sound-emitting device basedon an input received via the interface of the remote computing device.20. A system for use in connection with an arrow, the system comprising:an arrow nock configured to couple to the arrow; a transmitter coupledto the arrow nock; and a controller configured to (i) determine that thearrow has been shot from a bow and (ii) responsive to determining thatthe arrow has been shot from the bow, cause the transmitter to transmita beacon signal at a variable rate, wherein the variable rate is a firstrate at a first time, wherein the variable rate is a second rate at asecond time, and wherein the second rate is less than the first rate andthe second time is later than the first time.